Let's Watch Jokowi's Statement Of Not Passing Corruption Convicts

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo denied any revisions to Government Regulation (PP) Number 99 of 2012 concerning Terms and Procedures for the Implementation of the Rights of Correctional Assistants on the pretext of preventing the spread of COVID-19 in prisons.

According to Jokowi, in the previous week, the government had agreed that general criminal convicts could be released, bearing in mind that many prisons in Indonesia were over capacity and were at risk of the spread of the corona virus.

It's just that this release does not just mean that prisoners are released from prison, but there are conditions and supervision. As for prisoners in special crimes, such as corruption, they have never been discussed at any meeting.

"I just want to emphasize that we have never discussed the issue of corrupt convicts in our meetings," said Jokowi before chairing a limited meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace, Monday, April 6.

"So regarding PP Number 99 of 2012 there is no revision. So the release of prisoners is only for general criminal convicts," he said.

Apart from Jokowi, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD also spoke up about the polemic caused by the words of the Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly during a hearing with Commission III of the DPR RI.

According to him, until now the government does not plan to revise the regulation. "There are no plans to give remissions or parole to perpetrators or to corruption convicts as well as to terrorists. Nor is it against drug dealers," said Mahfud in his statement on Sunday, April 5.

The former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) said there were two reasons the government did not plan to revise Government Regulation No. 99/2012. First, said Mahfud, the PP has a special character as a differentiator from other criminal acts. Second, the space in the correctional facility is quite wide. So that it meets the requirements for physical distancing or maintaining a distance. "In fact, being isolated there is better than at home," said Mahfud.

Although he did not plan to revise the PP, the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court (MK) argued that the proposal for the release of prisoners did not come suddenly from the government or Menkumham Yasonna. According to him, this proposal came from the aspirations of the community.

"It is spread outside, it is possible because there are aspirations of the community which are conveyed to the Menkumham. Then the Menkumham informs that there is a request from some people for that," he explained.

Stay tuned

I don't know which society Mahfud means. This is because most people now refuse to do so. Although the government has said that it will not implement the revision of the regulation, Executive Director of the Indonesia Political Review, Ujang Komarudin, assesses that the public must remain vigilant and supervise the implementation of government policies.

Moreover, the government, starting from the President to his ministers, often takes policies that are the opposite of what they say. "The public will not just believe what the government says, because we know that the information that comes from the government often varies," said Ujang.

It is known that the number of convicts in corruption cases aged over 60 years, based on data records from the Sukamiskin Penitentiary, Bandung, West Java, has now reached 90 people. Among them, who have served 2/3 of their sentences as of December 31, 2020, there are 64. The corruptors, among them are former ESDM Minister Jero Wacik and senior lawyer OC Kaligis.

Meanwhile, according to data from Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW), there are 22 thieves who could potentially be free if this revision is implemented. They are former General Chairperson of the Golkar Party as well as former Chairman of the Indonesian Parliament Setya Novanto, OC Kaligis (77); former Minister of Religion, Suryadharma Ali (63); former Minister of Health, Siti Fadilah Supari (70); former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM), Jero Wacik (70); former Justice of the Constitutional Court, Patrialis Akbar (61).

Then, lawyer Fredrich Yunadi (70); former Judge Adhoc Corruption, Ramlan Comel (69); former Mayor of Bandung, Dada Rosada (72); former Governor of Riau, Zainal Rizal (62); former Governor of Papua, Barnabas Suebu (73); former Madiun Mayor, Bambang Irianto (69); former Regent of Batubara, OK Arya Zulkarnaen (63); former Mayor of Mojokerto, Masud Yunus (68).

Furthermore, the former Regent of Subang, Imas Aryumningsih (68); former Regent of South Bengkulu, Dirwan Mahmud (60); and former Mayor of Pasuruan, Setiyono (64), former member of DPR RI Budi Supriyanto (60); Amin Santono (70); and Dewi Yasin Limpo (60).

Next, apart from the political elite, there are also businessmen, namely the Operations Director of the Lippo Group, Billy Sindoro (60) and the shareholder of Blackgold Natural Resources, Johannes Budisutrisno Kotjo (69).